Example embodiments of inventive concepts relate to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device and/or a semiconductor device fabricated using the same and, more particularly, to a method of fabricating a three-dimensional semiconductor device including a stepped stack structure and/or a three-dimensional semiconductor device fabricating using the same.
Semiconductor devices are becoming more highly integrated to meet the desires of customers (e.g., in order to provide high performance and low costs thereof).
The integration density of the semiconductor memory devices may directly affect the costs thereof. Thus, the high integration density of the semiconductor memory devices may be increasingly demanded. The integration density of conventional two-dimensional (2D) or planar semiconductor memory devices may be mostly influenced by a planar area in which a unit memory cell occupies. Thus, the integration density of the conventional 2D or planar semiconductor memory devices may be influenced by a process technology for forming fine patterns. However, improving the process technology for forming the fines patterns may be limited the cost of equipment and/or difficulties of the process technology.
Three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor memory devices have been proposed. However, a process technology capable of reducing cost per bit than the 2D semiconductor memory devices and of improving reliability may be demanded for mass production of the 3D semiconductor memory devices.